In an interview before Tuesday's State of the Union, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) said he hoped President Trump would focus part of his speech on saving multi-employer pensions.

Brown brought Ohio pension advocate Rita Lewis as his guest for the second year in a row.

She is the widow of Butch Lewis, a retired Ohio truck driver who died of a stroke caused, in part, by stress after his pension was cut.

Brown has sponsored the Butch Lewis Act to help shore up failing pensions.

He said the pension crisis is a war on the middle class and must be stopped. 

Brown said he's heard nothing from the White House on pension reform, but vowed to continue fighting for it with or without the president's support. 

He said Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) also wants to fix pensions and they are working together on the issue.

Asked if he'd believe a call for unity from Trump, Brown said he's willing to take him at his word and is eager to cooperate.

Besides pensions, Brown said he sees infrastructure, changes to the Affordable Care Act and consumer protection as opportunities for compromise or unity.